Diversity Development Committee

The Diversity Development Committee is charged with keeping the Association engaged with issues and activities relevant to equity, diversity and inclusion. It meets during the annual conference and is open to any interested member of the Association willing to commit time and energy to achieving committee goals during the year. 

Diversity Development Committee Members, 2020

Audra McQuarie Audra McQuarie, Chair

Audra McQuarie is the Registrar at University of Phoenix and has assumed this role since 2008. With over 19 years of experience with University of Phoenix, she has had the opportunity to serve in various leadership roles at both the local campuses and central university administrative offices. As Vice President, Registrar at University of Phoenix she has made her focus on process efficiencies that enhance the student experience, and these efforts have resulted in the University being recognized with two process excellence awards by the Southwest Alliance for Excellence for the Registrar’s Office degree conferral and quality control processes. Audra is actively involved in the higher education community speaking at conferences and serving on various committees for the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars, Admissions Officers and American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and National Student Clearinghouse.  She also serves as a member and mentor of the Phoenix Women Rising Employee Resource Group which creates awareness to women's issues and encourages empowerment and growth. Audra holds a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies from The University of Arizona and a Master of Educational Counseling in Human Relations from Northern Arizona University.

Les Apouchtine Les Apouchtine

Les Apouchtine works as Associate Registrar, Records & Systems, at Vancouver Community College (VCC) in Canada. In the last ten years, Les has held several different positions in the Registrar's Office at Langara College and now VCC.  In addition to overseeing staff in student records, scheduling and transfer credit, at any given time he is busy working on several differerent projects like testing software upgrades, cleaning up data, or planning Convocation.  Les is also a member of the Local Arrangements Committee with PACRAO, and is taking part in PACRAO's Leadership Development Institute.  He recently started a Masters in Arts in Higher Education Administration and Leadership program. 

 

Photo of Patty Michelsen Patty Michelsen

Patty Michelsen is the Associate Registrar in the Office of the University Registrar at Chapman University in Orange, CA. She oversees Academic Programs and Articulation.  Patty has worked in higher education for eighteen years in various roles within the registrar realm, and has been with Chapman since October 2012.  She also serves as a liaison for the Office of the University Registrar on the GE Committee which reviews student petitions and syllabi provided by faculty for GE consideration.  Additionally, she is a member of the Latinx Staff and Faculty Forum which provides support to Latinx students, staff and faculty by developing connections and building a bridge between students, parents, alumni, community organizations, and the Chapman community. Her first-gen status and work in the Latinx Forum at Chapman spurred her desire to be part of the PACRAO Diversity Committee where she hopes to foster a sense of inclusion. 

Patty was born and raised in Los Angeles, surrounded by public transportation. Her environment created an interest in urban transportation and ultimately led to her Master's in Geography with a focus in GIS as well as her love of all things map-related.    

 

Ruth Garay

Ruth Garay is the Progression and Completion Coordinator at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. UNLV is a dynamic and diverse institution that has undergone several changes in the administration structure. She has been with UNLV since January 2004 and has served the Office of the Registrar in several capacities. In her current role, she coordinates and troubleshoots degree audit and graduation, conducts preliminary analysis of curriculum changes for implementation in PeopleSoft and the catalog using CurricuLog, and assist when needed in maintenance of the transfer evaluation system (TES) and transfer articulation.
As an immigrant from Honduras, and being a first-time first-gen student, she also serves the students by emphasizing inclusive language in policies and advocates for inclusive processes.
Ruth has contributed in PACRAO as a member of the Diversity Development Committee since 2014, and in the PACRAO Executive Board as the Diversity Development Advocate 2015, 2016, and 2017. She has presented on diversity themes in higher education any opportunity she gets.   
She received her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, a Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Organization Management, and is a current candidate for the Masters of Public Administration, all from UNLV. 

Photo of Kitty Cable Kitty Cable

Katherine Cable spends her working hours as the Registrations Systems Analyst at Southern Oregon University, which means she's equal parts archivist and doer of things that defy categorization. She comes to higher education from what could easily be called a variety of career choices in her past, including Emergency Medicine, Search and Rescue, a term in the Marines as a linguist, and a number of other odds and ends. She received her bachelor's degree in Emerging Media and Digital Art from Southern Oregon University.
Katherine serves on SOU's Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee, Veteran's and Military Connected Student Task Force, Bias Response Team and Equity Grievance Panels. Throughout her three years in Higher Education, she's given talks at OrACRAO and PACRAO on the topic of transgender staff, self-care, and Clearinghouse Enrollment Reporting.
She spends her off hours as an independent filmmaker, transgender activist and community volunteer, helping students with matters surrounding gender transition and LGBTQ+ support.